Convertible vehicle with a displaceable roof part

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a convertible vehicle ( 1 ) comprising a displaceable roof ( 2 ) that can be opened as a whole in relation to its opening. Said displaceable roof ( 2 ) comprises a sunroof ( 4 ) that can be displaced in relation to a surrounding roof part ( 5 ) when the roof is in the closed position. Said convertible vehicle is configured in such a manner that it is possible to directly open the roof from a closed position when the roof part ( 4 ) is open as well as from a closed position when the roof part ( 4 ) is closed.

The invention relates to a convertible vehicle comprising at least onetop which is movable overall for its opening and which includes asunroof part which is movable with respect to a surrounding top regionin an otherwise closed top position in accordance with the preamble ofclaim 1.

Convertible vehicles are known in which the top capable of openingoverall has a sunroof part in its front region displaceable to the rearwith respect to surrounding top regions. Said sunroof part is relativelymovable with respect to surrounding top regions with an otherwise closedtop; after reaching its completely open position, a furthergoing openingof the top is then possible overall into an open convertible position.The top opening out of such a closed position in which the sunroof partis closed is thus very time consuming.

It is the underlying problem of the invention to achieve an improvementhere.

The invention solves this problem by a convertible vehicle having thefeatures of claim 1. Advantageous aspects and further developments ofthe invention are set forth in the further claims 2 to 10.

It is possible by the invention to open the top with a genericconvertible vehicle without previously having to open the sunroof part.The top opening out of a closed position with a closed sunroof part isthus considerably accelerated. In this respect, the direct instigationof the top opening means that the top can already rise from its director indirect latched connection to the windshield frame when the sunroofpart is still closed.

Especially advantageously, the top opening is in particular equallypossible out of every position of the sunroof part, that is out of acompletely open, a completely closed or out of any intermediateposition. No thought then has to be given to the instantaneous positionof the sunroof part for the actuation of the top opening. Notime-consuming sunroof movement then has to be carried out in any caseprior to the raising of the top either. The complete top opening can runparticularly favorably equally fast out of any sunroof part position.

The sunroof part can particularly favorably be displaceableautomatically into a completely open position during the top openingor—provided it is already located there—can be held therein.

An automatic polling of the instantaneous position of the sunroof partand optionally a moving into its completely open position—likewise in anautomated manner—can be particularly favorably carried out in acompulsory manner for this purpose during the top opening.

For this purpose, a separate drive is provided for the displacement ofthe sunroof part independently of a drive for the top movement.

The sunroof part can form the frontmost end of the movable top in theregion at the center with respect to the direction of travel and canthus enable a large transparent region above the front occupants.

The sunroof part can particularly favorably be movable by the inventionbeyond headrests of a rearmost row of seats in its completely openposition during the top opening so that the top can already be lowereddown a lot in this phase of the movement. The surrounding top regionsbordering the sunroof part transversely outwardly can then be guidedpast the headrests to the side thereof.

In the end phase of the top opening, the sunroof part can in particularautomatically be moved into an intermediate position before the reachingof the completely open position of the top in order thus, provided thatthe sunroof part also maintains its original orientation with a stowedtop, to use it as a cover for top regions disposed thereunder and to beable to guide this cover as far forward as possible toward a rear wallof the passenger compartment.

Further advantages and features of the invention result from anembodiment of the subject matter of the invention shown schematically inthe drawing and described in the following.

There are shown in the drawing:

FIG. 1 a schematic perspective view of a convertible vehicle inaccordance with the invention obliquely from the front in arepresentation open to the front with a top closed overall and a closedsunroof part;

FIG. 2 a similar view to FIG. 1 with a (partly) opened sunroof part andan otherwise closed top;

FIG. 3 a similar view to FIG. 1 with a starting opening of the top fromits closed position in accordance with FIG. 1 with a closed sunroofpart;

FIG. 4 a similar view to FIG. 3 with a starting opening of the top, buthere from its closed position in accordance with FIG. 2 with an opensunroof part;

FIG. 5 a predominantly lateral perspective view, seen obliquely from therear, of a convertible vehicle in accordance with the invention with atop closed overall as in FIG. 1 and a closed sunroof part;

FIG. 6 a similar view to FIG. 5 with a (partly) opened sunroof part andan otherwise closed top;

FIG. 7 a similar view to FIG. 5 during the top opening from the closedposition with a closed sunroof part, with the sunroof part beingautomatically moved in the opening sense during the opening;

FIG. 8 a similar view to FIG. 7 with a further progressing top opening;

FIG. 9 a similar view to FIG. 8 with a further progressing top openingshortly before reaching the stowed top position;

FIG. 10 a similar view to FIG. 9 in a stowed top position;

FIG. 11 a detail enlargement of the rear vehicle region in a side viewduring the top opening, approximately corresponding to the top openingposition of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 a similar view to FIG. 9 in the stowed top position inaccordance with FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 a similar view to FIG. 12 with a sunroof part moved back partlyto the front into an intermediate position in a stowed top position;

FIG. 14 a plan view of the vehicle rear in a top position in accordancewith FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 a similar view to FIG. 14 in the stowed top position inaccordance with FIG. 12; and

FIG. 16 a similar view to FIG. 15 in the stowed top position with amoved back sunroof part in accordance with FIG. 13.

The convertible vehicle 1 in accordance with the invention can—asindicated in the drawing—be a four-seat or multi-seat vehicle providedwith at least one rear bench. A two-seater is also possible. In thisrespect, a vertical rear end can be provided as, for instance, withSUVs, compact vehicles, station wagons or vans. Alternatively, a notchback or a hatchback is also possible.

The top 2, which is here movable overall and adjoins a windshield frame3 directly or indirectly in the closed position, can include, as aretractable hardtop (RHT), a plurality of assemblies mutually separatedat their outer surface and made more or less in plate shape or, as aso-called soft top, can be spanned with a common flexible covering. Atop 2 formed as a soft top is indicated here, with the covering notbeing shown in the drawing Figures.

The top 2 movable overall can be displaced downwardly on its opening. Toreceive the opened top 2, a receiving space can be provided which can becoverable at least in part by a rear cover H which is movable or whichis unmoved for the top reception and which can act in a dual functionfor the at least partial covering of the receiving space for the top 2and of a baggage space which can also include the receiving space with aclosed top 2.

The top 2 furthermore includes in its front region a sunroof part 4which is movable with respect to a top region 5 surrounding it in anotherwise closed top position. Such an opening of only the sunroof part4 can be recognized in the transition from FIG. 1 to FIG. 2. Thesurrounding top region 5 is of U shape in a plan view; the front edge ofthe sunroof part 4 in the closed position simultaneously forms the frontedge of the top 2 and in its closed position directly adjoins thewindshield frame 3. This is not compulsory. An air deflector or asimilar assembly can also be arranged therebetween, for example.

In the U-shaped design of the surrounding top regions 5, limbs 6 of thetop regions 5 laterally bordering the sunroof part 4 in the closedposition of the top 2 can, as indicated e.g. in FIGS. 1 and 2, be heldat front lateral pillars 7, so-called A pillars, or their extensions.The sunroof part 4 can then be formed particularly wide. A crossmemberof the top 2 disposed in front thereof and having latching elements tohold the top 2 at the windshield frame 3 is dispensable so that thesunroof part 4 can also adopt a large depth advantageous for a goodopen-air feeling and feeling of light and can form the frontmost end ofthe movable top 2 in the region in the middle with respect to thedirection of travel.

To open the top 2 overall into the convertible position (see, forexample, FIG. 12), it is necessary for the avoidance of collisions thatthe sunroof part 4 is opened during at least a part of the movement ofthe sunroof part 4 with respect to the top regions 5 surrounding it. Thesunroof part 4 is, for example, movable beyond headrests 8 of a rearmostrow of seats in its completely open position during the top opening(FIG. 9). The limbs 6 can laterally run past these headrests 9 (or alsoheads of occupants); in the region at the middle with respect to thetransverse direction of the vehicle, however, the position of thesunroof part 4 disposed toward the rear end relative to the surroundingtop regions 5 is necessary to avoid the collision in this movementphase. Depending on the spatial conditions, the displacement does nothave to extend up to and into the rear extreme position of the sunroofpart 4, but can rather also be a position moved somewhat further. Thesunroof part 4 can in particular be displaceable overall by at least 20centimeters toward the rear end with respect to its closed position forits opening so that, on its opening, a good open-air feeling is ensured,on the one hand, and also a collision-preventing escape far to the rearis possible, on the other hand.

An opening of the top 2 out of its closed position engaging over thepassenger compartment is in any case possible directly both from a firstclosed position with a closed sunroof part 4 (FIG. 1) and from a closedposition with an open sunroof part 4 (FIG. 2) without the sunroof part 4having first to be moved up out of the position of FIG. 1 with a stillclosed top 2. The moving up of the sunroof part 4 into thecollision-avoiding position in accordance with FIG. 9 then takes placeautomatically during the top opening, as can be recognized, for example,in FIGS. 7 to 9. In this respect, the top can then already rise from thelatching to the windshield frame at an early time or can have risenbefore the start of the sunroof displacement.

In accordance with the embodiment, a top opening is likewise possiblefrom a closed position of the top 2 with any desired intermediateposition of the sunroof 4. The user therefore does not have to worryabout the instantaneous condition of the sunroof part 4 with anotherwise closed top 2. The latter is automatically displaceable intothe collision-avoiding open position during the top opening or, providedthat it was already there with an otherwise closed top 2, can be held inthis position. The optionally required displacement of the sunroof part4 takes place integrally with the top movement. The opening time of thetop 2 is in this respect advantageously also always the sameindependently of the respective starting condition of the sunroof part4.

To control this required movement of the sunroof part 4, which differsdepending on the starting situation, an automatic polling of theinstantaneous position of the sunroof part 4 is carried out, for examplevia (contactless) sensors, potentiometers or end position switches, atthe start of the top opening—with still fixedly held limbs 6 or on thestarting movement of the top region 5. An electronic control thenautomatically effects the described moving of the sunroof part 4 intoits collision-avoiding open position relative to the surrounding topregions 5 or a holding of the sunroof part 4 in this position usingthese input data during the top opening.

The sunroof part 4 can therefore be exposed to force in differentmanners during the top movement or can also remain unmoved relative tothe surrounding top regions 5. A drive for the displacement of thesunroof part 4 is for this purpose to be controlled independently of adrive for the top movement.

Since the holding of the sunroof part 4 in its position disposed to therear preventing a collision is no longer necessary with a stowed top(FIG. 12 and FIG. 15), the sunroof part 4 can be movable backautomatically into an intermediate position (FIG. 13 and FIG. 16) beforethe reaching of the completely open position of the top 2. This means asunroof movement in the direction of travel F out of thecollision-preventing position, as can be recognized in the transitionfrom FIG. 12 to FIG. 13. In the end position in accordance with FIG. 13,the sunroof part 4 can thereby directly adjoin rear headrests and/orrollover protection 8 and secure the region disposed behind it againstintervention from outside in the manner of a cover.

In the drawing, the sunroof part 4 can be moved over a top region 5disposed behind it. Alternatively, with corresponding spatial conditionsand sufficient headroom, it would also be possible that it can be movedinto a receiving pocket of this top region. It is furthermore possiblethat the sunroof part 4 is not in one piece, but is rather, for example,designed flexibly in the manner of a rolling top or in the manner of asegmental top with a plurality of transverse elements behind oneanother. An erection of the sunroof is equally possible; it does notonly have to be movable to the rear, but can rather also be able to bepositioned obliquely or even vertically upwardly. It is also possible inthis respect that the sunroof part 4 is only upwardly positionable forthe top opening and can be held upright in this position as a windstopwith an open top 2 in the direction of travel F in front of—or after therearward movement behind—the rear headrests 8. Such a displacement canalso take place in accordance with the invention independently of therespective sunroof position in the closed position of the top 2.

In any case, the opening of the sunroof part 4 into itscollision-preventing position can be carried out by the inventionintegrally with the top opening without having to carry out a completesunroof movement into the rearwardly moved collision-preventing positionbefore the raising of the top 2 from the windshield frame 3.

1. A convertible vehicle comprising a top which is movable overall forits opening and which comprises a sunroof part movable with respect to asurrounding top region in an otherwise closed top position,characterized in that a top opening is possible directly both out of aclosed position with an open sunroof and out of a closed position with aclosed sunroof part. 2-10. (canceled)